Jean Chrétien Receives Order Of Merit

Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was at Buckingham Palace in London yesterday to receive the Order of Merit from Queen Elizabeth II. The Order of Merit is a special honour awarded to individuals of great achievement in the fields of the arts, learning, literature and science, and is considered the most senior honour a Canadian can receive. A special gift from the sovereign, the award is limited to 24 living members, with a few additional foreign recipients.

Only three other Canadians have received the award: neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield, and former prime ministers Mackenzie King and Lester Pearson. Other recipients of the award, which was founded by Edward VII in 1902, have included Florence Nightingale, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill and Graham Greene.

Photo: Ian Nicholson / PA Pool / Getty Images

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